We’ll try not to owe workers – Gov Akeredolu

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Thursday said government will try and make sure it does not owe workers their salaries.

Akeredolu made this promise while receiving report of Committee on Arrears of Salaries of Public Servants in Akure.

He said the present administration does not have any other option but to pay salaries.

Akeredolu expressed hope that the workers would waive the outstanding salary arrears as part of their contributions to development.

“If they meet and say they waived two months, we will be glad but if they insist on having the full arrears, we thank them and will look for ways of paying.

“The government will continue to try and make sure we don’t owe them salaries”, he said.

The governor also said the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), needed to be increased very soon to tackle the salary arrears.

Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu

“Before we present our budget and after presentation, I will have to address the workers to let them know that it’s not possible to use all our money to pay salaries.

“We have said this many times, we must be prepared to make sacrifices because we don’t borrow money to pay salaries, something must be done.

“I thank the people for their efforts and resilience. I know it’s not easy, but it’s also getting increasingly difficult for the government too; but whatever we do, we will try not to owe salaries”, he said.